


shaking from the rain

by stydiasforever



Series: Season 5A One-Shots [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-14
Updated: 2015-10-14
Packaged: 2018-04-26 10:31:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5001316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stydiasforever/pseuds/stydiasforever
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After senior scribe, Lydia decides to wait out the rain before driving home. Coincidentally, a certain brown-haired boy happens to still be in the parking lot trying desperately to get his completely inoperable Jeep to start.</p>
            </blockquote>





	shaking from the rain

**Author's Note:**

> this is the first of ten short canon-divergent one shots, each centered around one episode of 5a. also, the titles are all going to be from taylor swift songs, so that's cool.  
> \---  
> (title from how you get the girl)

It was still raining when they left the school. Maybe not quite as hard as when they arrived, but it was also significantly colder than before - unseasonably cold for Beacon Hills at this time of year. Needless to say, Lydia wanted to minimize her time getting drenched, so she decided to wait it out a few minutes in the school before making the trek to the parking lot.  
  
Apparently nobody else had she same idea that she did, because by the time the rain had died down and she reached her car, the parking lot was completely deserted other than one other very recognizable vehicle - that godforsaken blue Jeep that had broken down more times in the past month than Lydia could count.  
  
She wasn't too surprised that its owner had the hood popped open and was trying to get it going. His knowledge about cars was actually very limited, but he liked to think that he was an expert by now. In reality, he just pulled on random parts until something worked.  
  
"Stiles, what are you doing?"  
  
Lydia's voice must have startled him, just as everything seemed to; whether it be a berserker running towards him or her six pound papillon jumping on his lap when they studied in her room ( _used to_ study in her room.) He jumped slightly and dropped the wrench he held in his right hand. Once he saw who had spoken, he looked both relieved and confused as to why she would still be at the school so long after everyone had left.  
  
"Jeep won't start again. What are you doing? Everyone left half an hour ago," Stiles noted, folding his arms over his chest.  
  
"Wanted to wait out the rain," she said simply, her eyes darting from his hazel ones to the baby blue Jeep that had surely reached the end of its days, much to Stiles' dismay.   
  
She'd actually grown to like that old piece of junk, but she hated the idea of it breaking down while he was driving alone in the middle of nowhere. He definitely knew it wasn't safe, and he knew it wouldn't last forever, but he just wasn't ready to let go quite yet. (Lydia could relate.)  
  
"Let me give you a ride home," she offered, though it came out as a demand. "You're going to catch a cold out here, and you'll end up having to call someone for a ride anyways."  
  
Stiles looked at her for a moment, studying her, before nodding his head.  
  
"Okay."  
  
Expecting an argument or at least some discussion about the matter, Lydia just mirrored his nod and promptly turned around to enter her car. She waited for him to climb into the passenger side before starting the car, wasting no time in pulling out of the spot and going forty miles per hour out of the empty parking lot.  
  
"I forgot what it was like driving with you," Stiles chuckled as Lydia made a sharp turn onto the road and finally slowed down a bit.  
  
She smiled faintly, feeling reminiscent of late summer days and driving around with the windows down and the music playing through the speakers. Sometimes they were in her car, sometimes they were in his. Talking about anything and everything, going nowhere in particular.  
  
Sometimes, she would reach over and take his hand and pretend that they were the only two people that existed.  
  
"So, do you-um-have everything ready for  tomorrow?" Stiles stammered. "Like classes and...supplies and stuff."

Ah, the dreaded small talk. One of the two ways that they seemed to communicate nowadays, the other being about anything of the supernatural variety. Unlike the latter, the small talk was horribly painful and always awkward.

"Well I'm only taking AP bio and calculus, since I already have all my credits and all that."  
  
She didn't want to talk about school. She wanted to talk about the words burning in her throat like a fire she couldn't put out.  
  
_I miss you._  
  
"Oh, right," he responded monotonously. "Forgot about the whole 'genius' thing."   
  
_I hope you miss me too._  
  
"Yeah."  
  
_I love you._  
  
She was glad she was driving so she had a reason to focus on something other than his breathing and the way he tapped his fingers to the song playing quietly on the radio. Stiles Stilinski was the ultimate paradox; he made her weak, yet her gave her strength. He made her cry more than anyone ever had, and he also brought her more joy and laughter than she ever thought possible. Out of all of the equations and problems she'd solved, he was the one thing that she couldn't quite figure out.  
  
They didn't hit a single red light, and they got to Stiles' house in five minutes. Lyd ia considered the possibility that it was fate's way of telling her that she shouldn't have been lusting over a boy with a girlfriend, that they weren't meant to spend more than five consecutive minutes alone together. Maybe fate was right.  
  
"Lydia, you alright over there?"  
  
Lydia let go of the steering wheel, realizing that she had already parked in his driveway. She looked over at him. He was staring at her with concern, his hand cautiously reaching over to rest on her forearm. Her skin immediately burned where he touched her - not with pain, but with an ache of longing and passion.  
  
"Yeah," she responded reflexively. She considered pulling away from him, but she decided to let him touch her. It made her feel safe and warm, his gentle touches always had.  
  
The feeling was fleeting, because as soon as she responded he gave her a quick smile and then moved his his hand to the door handle to exit the vehicle. And then she would be alone again.  
  
"Wait!" she exclaimed. She hadn't intended to speak out loud, but he had already turned to look at her and let go of the door. For the first time in a long time, he was giving her his undivided attention. "Can I talk to you about something?"  
  
Stiles smiled warmly, nodding his head. "Of course, Lyds. You know you can tell me anything."  
  
God, she wanted to tell him. She wanted to tell him everything. She probably would have, too, if fate hadn't decided to intervene again.  
  
His phone beeped loudly, and he pulled it out of his pocket. He wiped the layer of dampness off of it with his sleeve.  
  
"It's Malia, I was supposed to go pick her up as soon as I got the Jeep going," Stiles explained. "She's on her way here now, can we talk later?"  
  
Lydia felt like there was a fist closing around her quickly beating heart. She knew the feeling by now: heartbreak. She'd felt it for months, for years. She felt it every time she looked at him.  
  
_No. I don't want to talk later. I want to tell you that I love you before I lose this fleeting moment of courage and return to pining hopelessly over the boy who loved me for years while I never gave him a second look._  
  
"Yeah, of course," she spoke quietly. "I'll see you  tomorrow, I guess."  
  
"See ya tomorrow, Lyds."  
  
The smile he gave her before exiting the car engraved itself into her memory, and it was on constant replay in her brain long after she fell asleep that night, craving two arms around her as she drifted away.


End file.
